Cerknica polje Ethnological park

Where heritage steps beyond the museum display

For centuries, life around Lake Cerknica was closely connected with the lake, the land, the forest and the changing seasons. The constantly changing landscape required local people to be resourceful and adaptable, developing practical knowledge and skills that were passed down from one generation to the next.

At the Ethnological Park, located outdoors beside the museum, visitors enter a space where this heritage comes to life through traditional wooden farm buildings, old agricultural tools, carts, craftsmanship and traditional ways of working.

🏡 Traditional wooden buildings

The Ethnological Park features two traditional wooden farm buildings – a double hayrack (toplar) and a barn (skedenj), both characteristic of the rural landscape and traditional farmsteads of the Notranjska region.

Around them, visitors can see old agricultural tools, carts and other implements that tell the story of work and everyday life in the Cerknica area.

Rather than encountering these objects only as museum exhibits, visitors see them in an environment that helps evoke the atmosphere of traditional village life in Notranjska.

🛶 Traditional lake boat workshop in the barn

The traditional barn houses a workshop dedicated to the making of Lake Cerknica's traditional wooden boat, one of the most distinctive elements of the lake's cultural heritage.

For generations, the drevak was an essential part of life on and around the lake. Local people used these boats for fishing and for transporting people, hay, timber, livestock and other loads across the water.

The workshop displays traditional tools used to make a boat and introduces visitors to the different stages of its construction, the distinctive characteristics of the boat and the craftsmanship that was passed down through generations.

A living tradition of drevak making

The making of drevaks is not only a tradition of the past. Vekoslav Kebe is a recognised bearer of the tradition of drevak making, which is included in the Slovenian Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage. He continues to preserve the traditional knowledge and skills of making these boats today.

In the workshop, visitors can discover the tools, techniques and special features of this remarkable craft and learn about a tradition that was closely intertwined with everyday life around Lake Cerknica for centuries.

Among the boats he has made is also an impressive 12-metre-long boat, built using traditional techniques.

📖 Traditional knowledge for new generations

The making and significance of the traditional lake boat are also presented in an exhibition in Slovenian and English, helping visitors understand why the drevak played such an important role in life around Lake Cerknica.

For younger visitors, the story is told in another way – through a comic book, which introduces the making of the traditional boat and life by the lake in an engaging and easy-to-understand way.

In this way, valuable craftsmanship once mastered by local boat builders is preserved and passed on to new generations.

⚙️ The Venetian sawmill in action

Another special feature of the Ethnological Park is a preserved and fully functioning Venetian sawmill, which introduces visitors to traditional methods of sawing and processing timber.

At its original location, the sawmill was powered by water. To preserve it from deterioration, we acquired it, carefully restored it and reassembled it here. Today, it operates using electric power, allowing visitors to see clearly how this traditional sawmill works.

Wood was one of the most important materials for life in this region. It was used to make boats, carts, tools, farm buildings and countless objects for everyday use.

During arranged demonstrations, or when a trained operator is present, visitors may also have the opportunity to see the sawmill in operation.

This provides a glimpse not only of the historic machinery itself, but also of the skills and processes once required to transform a log into usable timber.

Knowledge passed down through generations

The Ethnological Park is not only about buildings and objects. Above all, it tells the story of people and their knowledge.

Visitors discover the connections between:

the forest and woodworking,
the lake and boating,
farming and work on the Cerknica Field,
traditional crafts and manual skills,
everyday village life in Notranjska.

Heritage that lives on

The Cerknica Field Ethnological Park is more than a glimpse into the past. Through its buildings, tools, traditional working methods and preserved craftsmanship, visitors can gain a deeper understanding of how generations of local people adapted to the distinctive landscape in which they lived.

The lake, forest and land provided the resources they needed, while their knowledge, ingenuity and skills shaped a cultural heritage that we continue to preserve and pass on to future generations.

Step into the Cerknica Field Ethnological Park, discover the double hayrack and the barn with its traditional lake boat workshop, and explore the knowledge and skills passed down through generations around Lake Cerknica.